Whidbey Examiner

Front Street trucks bring frustration

Complaints about delivery trucks double parking on Front Street have prompted town officials to work with merchants to address concerns. / Megan Hansen photo

Town of Coupeville officials are working with Front Street merchants to address concerns about delivery trucks double parking and blocking traffic.

Mayor Nancy Conard said that years ago, Front Street used to have loading zones, but merchants requested additional parking and agreed to eliminate those zones.

Now, the town is receiving complaints from merchants about the delivery truck issues, and the town is working to mitigate those concerns.

One of the biggest problems is trucks are double parking when downtown is packed in the middle of the day.

“It’s interesting how many go down at the lunch hour,” said Councilwoman Jackie Henderson.

The other concern is how long they are parking on the street.

Councilwoman Molly Hughes said she’s received complaints from community members including photos of incidents involving delivery trucks blocking drivers and nearly crashing, causing accidents.

She’s also witnessed trucks make multiple deliveries and move slowly down the road.

“They’re on the street a really long time,” she said.

Last Thursday someone called the Coupeville Town Marshal’s Office and reported two delivery trucks were blocking at least four vehicles trying to leave. This call was received at 1:50 p.m.

One merchant apparently took it upon themselves and spray painted a no parking zone to accommodate their delivery drive.

That action prompted several complaints, and Conard said the town is addressing that issue and the spray paint will be covered.

Vickie Chambers, executive director for the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association said the spray paint incident is what prompted a dialogue about the delivery truck issues on Front Street.

“They’re bigger, louder and more frequent,” she said. “It’s an issue and we’re hoping to work together to increase the safety on Front Street.”

Conard said the town is working with the association to work with merchants and the delivery businesses to see if deliveries can be completed prior to 11 a.m. each day and to ensure that more than one truck is not double parked at the same time.

A letter was drafted by the town and association and was distributed to effected businesses.

The Coupeville Marshal’s Office is also trying to open a dialogue with delivery drivers on a one-on-one basis.

“Increasing people’s awareness of this rapidly will help,” Conard said.